Cordelia associates winter with her November birthday and has embraced the season as a personal brand. Griselda, having grown up in Scotland where it gets dark early, has learned to adapt to winter and finds joy in its coziness and communal activities.
Cordelia suggests tumble-drying socks before wearing them for instant warmth. Griselda recommends using an electric blanket to save on heating costs and stay cozy while working from home. Both emphasize the importance of warm lighting and avoiding overhead lights in favor of lamps.
The idea of 'wintering' involves embracing the season as a time of rest and retreat, similar to how animals hibernate. It encourages preparing for the cold months and not shying away from the darkness, but rather embracing it with open arms.
They suggest taking time for cultural discovery, such as reading books you own but haven't read, watching 90s movies, or listening to jazz. Lulu, the producer, also notes that winter is a good time to relax standards and enjoy things like Christmas movies, even if they're not typically your taste.
Communal activities like making pierogi dumplings or cleaning the house together can be enjoyable and help combat loneliness. They provide a sense of togetherness and make otherwise tedious tasks more fun.
Lila shares a listener's tip that iced coffee should not be abandoned in winter, as it's a personal preference. She argues that just as people don't switch to hot water in winter, there's no reason to stop enjoying iced coffee if you love it.
The 'jealousy list' is a compilation of articles and stories that media companies wish they had published themselves. It's a way to highlight great content from other sources and is particularly popular during the end-of-year season.
Griselda recommends Laura Marling's album 'Patterns in Repeat,' which she describes as intimate and tender, capturing the experience of motherhood with a sense of humor and authenticity.
Lila's 'more or less' is to do less—less consuming of the buzziest new content, less internet, and more time for reflection and less rushing through life.
Today we are bringing you a winter survival guide, full of deceptively small tips that will make winter unmeasurably better. How do we best appreciate these cold, dark months? How do we stay stimulated, but also reject the grind? Our FT Weekend Magazine’s resident “winter goddesses” Griselda Murray Brown and Cordelia Jenkins join Lilah armed with tons of delightful suggestions, from buying warm lightbulbs to reading your friends’ dusty old books. They also fight about electric vests. It’s a joy. We hope you love it.
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As you know, the show is ending in early January – we’re still collecting your cultural questions. What’s rolling around in your head? How can we help? Email Lilah at [email protected], or connect with her on Instagram @lilahrap).
Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– For our summer episode, search ‘How to have the perfect summer’ wherever you listen. Here it is on Spotify)
– The FT Magazine’s advent special) is full of tips for enjoying winter
– Lulu’s piece about watching 100 Christmas films is here: https://on.ft.com/3BBYrUR)
– Cordelia mentioned “jealousy lists”: here’s the FT’s list of favourite non-FT articles published this year). Here’s Bloomberg’s) (paywall). Cordelia is most jealous of this Guardian piece) by Jonathan Nunn about Nicholas Saunders: “Hippy, capitalist, guru, grocer: the forgotten genius who changed British food”
– Gris loved Laura Marling’s album Patterns in Repeat. She also mentioned the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat by Katherine May.
– Gris is on Instagram @griseldamurraybrown). Cordelia is on Bluesky @cordeliajenkins)
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart)
Music clip from Chrysalis Records
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